Live at Liberty Lunch [Live]

Amazon.com
A roaring testament to Ely's vitality on stage, this set marries strong lyric-centered material with a protopunk country attitude. The alchemy is volatile, and Ely has never quite harnassed such power again. His timely association with The Clash was probably the inspiration he needed: he reworked classic material--"Me and Billy the Kid," "Letter to L.A." and "Bluebird," featuring the harmony of Butch Hancock--and squeezed the utmost energy from every song. His band--featuring Jimmy Petit, Davis McLarty, and David Grissom--was stripped down but rocked harder because of it, and Ely sang like he'd never get another chance. Believe it: This is one of the most exhilarating live albums, ever. --Roy Francis Kasten

Tracks:

Me And Billy The Kid
Are You Listenin' Lucky?
Grandfather Blues
B.B.Q. & Foam
Row Of Dominoes
Dallas
Where Is My Love?
She Gotta Get The Gettin'
Drivin' To The Poorhouse In A Limousine
Cool Rockin' Loretta
Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
Letter To L.A.
If You Were A Bluebird

Amazon.com

A roaring testament to Ely's vitality on stage, this set marries strong lyric-centered material with a protopunk country attitude. The alchemy is volatile, and Ely has never quite harnassed such power again. His timely association with The Clash was probably the inspiration he needed: he reworked classic material--"Me and Billy the Kid," "Letter to L.A." and "Bluebird," featuring the harmony of Butch Hancock--and squeezed the utmost energy from every song. His band--featuring Jimmy Petit, Davis McLarty, and David Grissom--was stripped down but rocked harder because of it, and Ely sang like he'd never get another chance. Believe it: This is one of the most exhilarating live albums, ever. --Roy Francis Kasten

Customer Reviews:

Joe Ely is Texas Music.......2006-05-19

This is a great album, much less an awesome live album. the recording and production quality is excellent, which is my biggest gripe with live releases.

Joe is a Texas Institution. One reviewer wrote the south's Bruce Springsteen. I agree in many ways, but Joe needs no comparison - he was jammin honky tonks when E Street was released. I much prefer Joe to Bruce, although I'm not knocking Bruce.

A great singer/songwriter who pays homage to his contemporaries such as the excellent duet on this CD with Butch Hancock. He does awesome renditions of other Texas musicians Jimmy Dale Gilmore (Saturday Night) and Rober Earl Keen (The Road Goes on Forever) on other albums as well.

This album was recorded before David Grissom left to join John Mellencamp. Fortunately he also found his way back. Grissom was a whiz kid when he joined Joe during the era of this album. It is worth buying if only for the excellent second lead in Letter to L.A. that is not on Lord of the Highway. Grissom adds lead Guitar prominance to the album that stands on it's own. If you like the guitar work here also check out Storyville.

I have seen these guys on stage together and apart. Grissom and Ely onstage together is better than the sum of the parts. I highly recommend this album to anyone who enjoys straight up guitar jams with excellent songwriting.

One Of The Greatest Live Albums Ever, Seriously!!!!!.......2004-11-02

Joe Ely's live shows during the late 80's through the 90's are somewhat of a legend. If you were lucky enough to catch him live during that time, you know what I mean. Blistering and intense, a how-to on kickin' a** live. I was lucky enough, and I have seen many shows before and since (from the Stones to Willie and all in between) and NOTHING compares to Joe Ely. This album captures that energy like few live albums ever do. This is Texas Roadhouse Rock at its finest. From country to americana to staight up rock, and ROCK IT DOES!!!!!! 'Cool Rockin Loretta' (a Texas favorite), 'She's Gotta Get To Gettin', 'Are you Listen, Lucky?', are much better live than they were on any studio recording. My favorites are BBQ and Foam, Row Of Dominoes, and Letter to LA. There is just something about this album that defies any genre or style. YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED, GUARANTEED!!!!

Hands Down, The Best Live Rock 'n Roll Album Ever!!!.......2002-04-01

Hard rocking honkytonk music of the highest order. Joe led the tightest 4-piece combo on the planet & had the smarts to employ the most evocative guitarist to come along since Duane Allman died (David Grissom). Then he gave him room to cut loose - solos, fills, & riffs straight out of Heaven! "Letter to L.A." alone is worth the price of the CD - seriously! "Row of Dominoes" & "Cool Rockin' Loretta" are too, for that matter. But although he lets Grissom shine, it's never to the detraction of the rest of the band. The solos are always riding the groove and interplaying with the other instruments, while always being built upon the melody & emotion of the song. There's something more than just playing music here-this band has achieved symbiosis.
Ely's bandleading skills cannot be underestimated at this point-under his direction, the band has a command of dynamics to rival Van Morrison's (you can't go higher than that!). Great songs, wonderful audience interaction, & a generous amount of playing time - over an hour - make for a complete CD package.
Be forewarned though, this is more of a headphones album - NOT background music. There's so much going on, it demands your attention or else you might not get the gist. But trust me, it's worth devoting your whole attention to.

Joe Ely Brings Down the House.......2001-02-10

This live album returned Joe Ely in fine style to MCA after a six year absence from the label which saw him record two albums for the Hightone label. As a result, Joe Ely and band were not promoting a new album. His last for Hightone was Dig All Night in 1988 and only "Grandfather Blues" comes from that album. He does, however, include four tracks from 1987's Lord of the Highway, including a powerful solo acoustic rendition of "Me and Billy the Kid" and a scorching version of "Are You Listening Lucky?"

To date, Ely has released three live albums, and they all are super-charged affairs. On this album recorded in Austin, Ely touches bases with all of his albums except Honky Tonk Masquerade and offers two new songs: the tear-jerking "Where Is My Love" and the hard-driving original "Drivin' To the Poorhouse in a Limousine." Ely's stripped-down band features Jimmy Petit on bass, Davis McLarty on drums, and David Grissom--certainly the most rock-oriented of Ely's lead guitarists over the years and a gifted artist in his own right.

The energy on this live set is something that Ely has never fully captured on a studio album. This is the next best thing to actually being there. RECOMMENDED

a rare, GOOD live recording.......2000-11-08

an old pal suggested i buy this for the longest time. he was nagging at me; getting on my nerves. just to shut him up, i ended up buying the CD (used). i brought it home, popped off the shrink wrap, and inserted it into the NAD CD player. i normally DO NOT like live recordings. this sure as hell is an exception. from start to finish. i'm not going to give you a song-by-song review/commentary. all i'll say is: BUY THIS MUSIC...(lp, cd, cassette, whatever). you WILL NOT regret it. the only other 'live' recording that might (MIGHT) come close to being this good is: Santana: "Sacred Fire" (live in South America) nah, ELY is better...

Average customer rating:

Live at Liberty Lunch
Joe Ely
Manufacturer: Cbuj Ent
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Alt-Country & Americana | Country | Styles | Music

General | Country | Styles | Music

Outlaw & Progressive Country | Country | Styles | Music

General | Live Albums | Country | Styles | Music

Country Rock | Rock | Styles | Music
Similar Items:

Streets of Sin
Joe Ely/Honky Tonk Masquerade
The Best of Joe Ely
Heard It on the X
Happy Songs From Rattlesnake Gulch

ASIN: B000M2E37C
Release Date: 2007-02-06

Tracks:

Me and Billy The Kid
Are You Listening' Lucky?
Grandfather Blues
B.B.Q. & Foam
Row Of Dominoes
Dallas
Where Is My Love?
She Gotta Get the Gettin'
Drivin To the Poorhouse In a Limousine
Cool Rockin' Loretta
Musta Notta Gotta Lotta
Letter To L.A.
If You Were a Bluebird

Music Album:

Music Album